Smoke observed from a logging road on the North Fork side of the TransAlta Fire. / Courtesy photo by Rhonda Volk
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Smoke spotted from the air drew firefighters yesterday afternoon to a wildfire burning grass, brush and an exposed coal seam on property owned by TransAlta.
It was at the Centralia coal mine’s South Field, according to Riverside Fire Authority Chief Mike Kytta.
The forested unimproved property is protected by the state Department of Natural Resources.
The fire was reported to DNR about 3:30 p.m. and Riverside responding about 4:10 p.m. learned it was already being fought by personnel from Lewis County Fire Districts 6, 5 and 1, along with DNR, from the North Fork Road area, according to the fire chief.
Kytta said upon their arrival with a brush truck, water tender and command unit, they found a DNR helicopter had the fire contained already. They left the mop up work for DNR and mine personnel, he said.
Further details were not yet available from DNR and calls to TransAlta were not returned as of this evening.
DNR reported it turned it back over to the landowner last night.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Yet get in an accident on Harrison RIGHT IN FRONT of the fire station and they will not transport to Centralia hospital and call AMR.
That is another reason I vote NO to any and all levy proposals by Riverside Fire Authority!
In these dry and dangerous conditions better to have too much firefighting help than the alternative.
The Riverside Fire Authority was dispatched by the E9-1-1 center at the request of TransAlta Centralia to respond to a wildfire in the mine. The RFA is obligated to make an appropriate response when requested in this case because the mine property is within the boundaries of the RFA. TransAlta personnel were not certain that the responders on North Fork Road would be able to access the fire.
What we have here is a failure to communicate! Lewis County’s finest.
Once again Riverside Fire Authority leaves their area of coverage chasing smoke. If Kytta or anyone else at RFA paid any attention at all they would have known it was already handled. RFA taxpayers should be proud of these guys the way they waste taxpayer dollars daily.